A brewery and craft beer bar is expanding and developing a new coffee shop and brand at its east Belfast base, it can be revealed.
Bullhouse East, run by Bullhouse Brew Co, is opening up Nook at its Newtownards Road location in a bid to attract a coffee and work crowd in earlier in the day.
“The plan would be putting some good coffee into our bar Bullhouse East,” Willy Mayne, founder of the bar and brewery, said.
“Nook is a new brand, so there’s that point of difference. It’s about taking it seriously and being quality-led.”
The coffee section of the bar will be open from 10am to 5pm. The name Nook stems from a former café which used to sit behind the bar, called Coffee Nook.
“People know us for beer, so we have developed the new brand to distinguish with coffee [brand].
“We are hoping to be open mid-February and we have had good traction on social media.”
Willy says they are currently deciding on which coffee to use for the bar, and said they may wait until they hire their lead barista before choosing one.
“There are lots of local options, which are all very good quality,” Willy says.
“If we could do a guest coffee, and keep a theme from the beer side of things, that’s what we’d like to do.
“We have been working on a concept for a [standalone] café at some stage, but this isn’t that yet.”
Willy said he received 22 applications for the post of lead barista in the space of two days.
“There has been demand from people to lead that role, and there is a good field of candidates,” he said.
“We will be doing third-wave coffee in Bullhouse – extending the bar, with new furniture and more of front section where coffee machine is – and making it more comfortable for people to do work.
“We are also looking ta food options, expanding hours, and the lunch time offer.”
Bullhouse Brew Co expanded from production in south Belfast to launching a standalone craft beer bar on the Newtownards Road in east Belfast in June 2022.